Following the release of Paper Route's first full length album and a handful of EPs, the Nashville-based pop band was ready to seek refuge away from all the noise and refocus on its art. The bandmates moved into a creaky old mansion, lovingly dubbed Joy Mansion, somewhere in Nashville.

"It kind of became a sort of refuge for all of us because we were all going through, for lack of a better description, personal, artistic and professional hell," said JT Daly, with a hint of sardonic laughter. "It became a safe haven, our escape."

The soundtrack to that refuge at Joy Mansion became "The Peace of Wild Things," which hit No. 8 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart after its release last summer. Paper Route seems to have been on the verge of breaking out for quite some time: they've released tracks that got play on network television shows and a movie, toured with several well-known acts and finally self-released their latest album. Route is even headlining its first national tour, which stops at Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge on July 7.

Daly and he and bandmates Chad Howat and Gavin McDonald underwent some difficulties with Universal Republic before the release of "The Peace of Wild Things," which ultimately resulted in a break from the major label.

"They send your (music) to focus groups if they think you have a single," said Daly, Paper Route's primary songwriter and vocalist. "We (had) the top two songs out of months and months of focus groups, (but) I don't think they even knew we existed, yet we were one of the highest scoring bands."

The break with Universal Republic, then, came at an opportune time. The trio headed into Joy Mansion and handled the irritation through producing the new album.

"We went through a huge transition as a band, and I think you can hear it on every track," Daly said.

Paper Route has been together for nearly 10 years now, and the band has toured under names like Mutemath, Owl City, Passion Pit and, most recently, Imagine Dragons. The most educational experiences, however, came from touring with Phantom Planet and Switchfoot.

"(They) taught us how to respect other bands you're touring with. Both were so kind and gracious to us," Daly said.

In the band's earlier days, Paper Route songs could be heard popping up on an episode of "One Tree Hill," and the 2009 movie "(500) Days of Summer." Daly, who credits some of that to TV and film executives wanting to "discover" new talent, said the on-screen time is a not totally unexpected fit for Paper Route's music.

"One of our idiosyncrasies is we're cinematic. You can mute vocal and it can sound like a score," Daly said. "We spend a lot of time on arrangements … to give room for the listener to daydream."

Daly said Paper Route will probably return to a label to release its third full length album, which the band is just now in the beginning stages of writing, despite the difficulties with Universal Republic.

"Sometimes I think it's appropriate to take a step forward and have that major team behind you," explains Daly. "The thing we're looking for is passion. … With passion comes conviction, (and) when we find that, we're going to pick that and stay there and build walls around it."